Women's History and Their Future

Monday, March 18, 2002   When most people think of Women’s History Month, they think of individual women who have achieved greatness: Susan B. Anthony, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart.  This year, Mothers & More, a non-profit organization supporting sequencing women - mothers who have altered their career paths in order to care for their children - asks you to think of the history of women as a whole.

“The history of women does not necessarily correspond with the history of humanity,” says Pam Hainlin, president of Mothers & More. “The United States as a democratic nation was created in 1776, but women were considered mere property at that time. It wasn’t until 1920 that women earned the basic right to vote.”

Only in the last 30 years have women’s opportunities for full participation in the paid workplace truly expanded. Yet even now, women face frustration in a corporate world where “glass ceiling” and “mommy track” are the all-too-common catch phrases of the day. 

“Women in the US have come a long way toward the ultimate goal of full citizenship, but we’re not there yet,” says Joanne Brundage, founder and executive director of Mothers & More. “Until mothers’ contributions to our society - as employees and as caregivers - are fully recognized and valued, the status of women will remain secondary. Equality for mothers will come only when they are provided the protections and choices they need to do justice to their work in both the paid workplace and in caring for their families. All women should be given the respect and tangible supports they need to negotiate between parenting and paid employment without fear of societal, governmental or corporate ramifications.”

During Women’s History Month, Mothers & More challenges all Americans to consider what still needs to be written into women’s history. “We need to respect and support the right of women to choose if and how they combine parenting and paid employment,” continues Hainlin. “We need to expand flexible work to reduce the overwhelming burden that juggling work and family places on contemporary mothers. If we truly value women’s participation both in the paid workforce and as primary caregivers to our nation’s next generation of citizens, the structure of paid work and public policy must reflect that.”

Mothers & More has 180 chapters and 7500 members nationwide. It supports women’s personal needs and interests during their active parenting years and advocates for public and employment policies that accommodate sequencing.

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